BPI defends German Pharma after TV prog

The German research-based pharmaceutidal industry association, the BPI, has stressed the "very high quality" and safety standards maintained on drug products in the sector which, it says are achieved through tough regulatory controls and supervision.

The BPI was responding to the first television program in a series on the drug industry produced by ZDF in its magazine format Frontal21. The initial one focused on "the pharma cartel" and accused the nation's drugmakers of holding back the results of clinical studies and doctoring information on medicines' side effects.

Henning Fahrenkamp, the BPI's executive director, said the program's generalizations and presentation would only succeed in spreading public anxiety. He stressed that detailed and precise information on medicinal products was contained in patient package inserts and argued that the sort of corruption alleged in the TV show was dealt with not only through state sanctions, but also with penalties imposed by self-policing from within the pharmaceutical industry.